The Houston Texans are the furthest thing from a historic, marquee legacy franchise. Houston operates in obscurity, a trait sharps love. But Houston certainly gets better results than most of the mega brands.
Like all things with the Texans, the hiring of DeMeco Ryans as head coach was noticed nowhere but in Houston, where it was panned as a certain failure.
Ryans has pulled off one of the best coaching jobs in the NFL with three consecutive playoff appearances, two division titles, and the best defense in football.
Quarterback CJ Stroud has been another important contributor to the Texans as the starter for all three of the current run of playoff seasons. But Stroud was off at times in the regular season and not quite at his previous levels.
Houston fans and a lot of gamblers are expecting the Texans to get past the Pittsburgh Steelers in Monday night’s road playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season since taking over in 2007, but has not put the Steelers in the Super Bowl since the 2010 campaign.
Many commentators and fans deride the Steelers as purgatory. They are good enough to make the playoffs, but not good enough to win it.
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Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers Odds at Bookmaker
Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA, will host the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Houston Texans matchup on Monday, January 12, 2026. Kickoff time is at 8 p.m. ET with television coverage on ABC and ESPN.
Houston opened as a 3.5-point favorite and Pittsburgh as a 3.5-point home dog. Houston is a -172 moneyline favorite with Pittsburgh a +144 moneyline dog. The Texans and Steelers opened with an over/under total of 39.5.
A lot of sharps are willing to lay the points with the Texans based on vastly superior metrics.
Squares will seek safe harbor with the Steelers as the home team, coming off a big win over Baltimore on NBC Sunday Night Football, to gain entry into the playoffs.
Houston Texans
Last game, the Houston Texans won 38-30 against the Indianapolis Colts as 9.5-point home dogs. The game went over the total of 37.5. Houston is 12-5 straight up, 9-8 against the spread, and 6-10-1 over/under the total.
Houston ranks 20th for total offense, 16th for passing, 23rd for rushing, 13th for scoring, and 2nd for fewest turnovers committed.
Houston ranks 1st in total defense, 5th vs. the pass, 4th vs. the rush, 2nd in fewest points allowed, and 3rd in takeaways.
Houston has covered one out of its most recent three games. Houston went over the total in three of its last four matchups.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Last game, the Pittsburgh Steelers won 26-24 against the Baltimore Ravens as 4.5-point home dogs. The game went over the total of 41.5. Pittsburgh 10-7 straight up, 9-8 against the spread, and 10-7 over/under the total.
Pittsburgh ranks 26th for total offense, 22nd for passing, 26th for rushing, 15th for scoring, and 7th for fewest turnovers committed.
Pittsburgh ranks 25th for total defense, 28th vs. the pass, 12th vs. the rush, 17th for fewest points allowed, and 8th for takeaways.
Pittsburgh has covered four out of its most recent five games. Pittsburgh went over the total in four of its last five matchups.
Texans at Steelers Betting Trends
Houston covered the spread in three consecutive road games. The Texans went under the total in seven of their most recent nine games. The Texans lost only one of their last five games against the spread as a road chalk.
Pittsburgh covered the spread in four of its last six games as a home dog. The Steelers cashed in 13 of their last 18 home games. Pittsburgh went over the total in just one of its last five games at home.
Texans at Steelers Best Bets
Last week, the Steelers beat a mediocre Baltimore team because of a missed field goal at the gun.
Houston has the best defense in football and is the more complete team.
Main Pick: Houston Texans
Over/Under Pick: Under the Total
Player Prop Picks: Aaron Rodgers Under the Passing Yards Total
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